I was numb for most of it just to get through the day.
After I’ve unpacked the small amount of clothes I brought with me, I go back downstairs.
Kendall’s sitting at the bar on her phone as she eats a salad. I open the packed fridge and look around.
“What can I eat in here?” I ask.
“You’re smart, figure it out,” she snaps, but I know a lot of these things aren’t for us. Instead of asking again, I pull out some mayo and lunch meat. There’s a loaf of bread on the counter, so I open it. I set a plate down on the bar, making the messiest looking sandwich ever, but it'll do the job. Kendall stares, silently judges my masterpiece of a meal, then goes back to her phone.
After I’m done eating, I rinse my plate and place it in the dishwasher, then go to the living room and check the amount of firewood we have. There’s enough to last us a while, but considering we’ll only be here a few days, there’s no need to see if there’s more in the shed.
I plop on the couch and turn on the weather channel so I can get an update. I’m balanced on the edge of the couch watching how dangerous the conditions have become, and I’m worried it might linger. This storm needs to pass quickly so I can get back to the city. Kendall enters moments later, and from my peripheral, I can see her watching too. She lets out a long sigh.
Eventually, she sits, but she’s on the opposite end of the large sectional couch. I know I’ve pissed her off, but she’ll get over it. I won’t suck up to her or stroke her ego like everyone else does. There’s no way I’ll be kissing the ground she walks on, and if she thought that’d happen, she’s sadly mistaken.
After a few hours of watching TV, I yawn. I’ve been up since four because I went to the hospital and worked a few hours before I picked up Kendall. Eventually, she gets up and grabs her two suitcases, then struggles to get them up the stairs.
“You want some help?” I ask.
After she shoots me a glare from over her shoulder, she continues to lug her heavy ass luggage to the top floor.
“No,” she barks.
“Master bedroom is yours,” I yell, and when I hear the door slam, I know she heard me.
“Good night to you too,” I mumble to myself, then turn off the TV and lights. Before going upstairs, I check the thermostat and set the heat higher because the outside temperature is still dropping. As I climb the stairs, I laugh knowing I can still get under her skin. The next few days are going to be interesting.
Chapter Three
Kendall
DAY 2
After the day I had yesterday, it feels nice to sleep in. As soon as I throw off the covers, I hear the wind howling against the cabin and see nothing but snow. The huge master suite overlooks the mountains, but right now, I can hardly see anything outside. It’s a complete whiteout.
“Oh shit,” I mutter, realizing there’s no way we’re leaving later today. Surrounded by trees and mountains with a long private driveway, the cabin is twenty miles away from Roxbury. It’s the perfect getaway for a romantic honeymoon, but there’s nothing romantic about being stuck here with Ryan. Instead, he acts as if it’s his own personal hell.
It’s definitely not normal to get this much snow this time of year. Usually this happens closer to Christmas and into January and February, but hardly ever mid-November. This rare arctic blast will probably keep me stuck here with Ryan longer than either of us intended.
After I throw on a sweater and slide on my slippers, I go downstairs for coffee. As soon as I enter the kitchen, I see Ryan at the table on his phone with his laptop.
“Dude, I think we’re stranded here,” Ryan says to whoever he’s talking to, and he doesn’t sound happy. He looks miserable too.
Great.
“No, the main road is snowed over. It’s so bad they won’t be able to get the plows out for a few days, and apparently, the news said they expect more snow to come. I had to take a few emergency vacation days from work. We got twenty inches so far, and it’s still coming down. The wind is brutal, so it’s just fucking blowing everywhere. Even if the roads were open, I wouldn’t be able to see it.”
Twenty inches? Jesus.
It’s confirmation that we’re not leaving anytime soon.
I grab a mug and pour myself some of the already brewed coffee. He’s still chatting with who I assume is Eli or Cami.
After I grab some creamer from the fridge, I continue listening to his conversation.
Ryan releases a huff. “Thanks. I just wanted to let you two know so you don’t get worried about us. Hopefully, we don’t lose power. With my luck, an ice storm would make its way here too.”
Lose power? Oh hell no. I can’t be here without power. We’ll just have to shovel our way out if that happens.
I sit at the breakfast bar with my coffee and scroll through my phone when I hear Ryan whisper, “Yeah, she’s a fucking trip.”
Wow. I haven’t done anything, and he’s already being rude as hell.
After he ends the call, he goes back to typing on his computer. His forehead wrinkles and face contorts, which makes me wonder if he’s getting weather updates. If so, it’s not looking good.
“Sounds like you’re stuck with me for a bit longer,” I say, hoping to break the awkward tension. “Won’t be so bad. You’ll get a few days off. Maybe take advantage of it and relax for once. Could also work on getting the stick out of your ass.” I hold back a laugh knowing he’ll probably ignore me for that last comment.
“Easy for you to say,” he mutters. “Not everyone lives off their family’s money. Some of us have jobs to do. I’m sure your biggest concern is getting to the nail salon on time every day.”
“Really?” I snap my gaze toward him. “That’s the best you got? How original.” I roll my eyes though he’s not looking at me. “For your information, I go every other week and it’s far from my biggest concern, asshole.”
I hate that he thinks he knows me when he clearly doesn’t. He’s never even tried and acts like he has me figured out.
“Well maybe if you had job aspirations and goals at your age, being stuck here would be a concern. It—”
“At my age?” I interrupt. “So because I’m twenty-four, I should have the rest of my life all planned out? And if I don’t, I’m a slacker?”
He clears his throat, finally glancing at me. “I didn’t say slacker, but that it might be hard for you to understand that I enjoy working. Being a doctor is who I am, and knowing I can’t be at the hospital with my patients worries me. Not that you care.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth. I said to relax, which you’re incapable of doing. Considering you can’t do anything about being stuck here with a ‘fucking trip,’ you might as well take advantage of the time off. But you know what?” I stand, grabbing my mug. There’s no emotion in his face as I scowl at him. “Be miserable all you want. Alone.”
I march toward the stairs and don’t look back. He can sulk by himself. Just because I don’t have an intense career doesn’t mean I’m a worthless trust fund baby. If he’d bothered to ask or tried to get to know me, he’d learn there’s a lot more to me than that. He’s just like everyone else and has made opinions about me based on what he sees on the surface.